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We are the soul of a newspaper. Not just any newspaper. We are the soul of the Toronto Sun from back in the day when it was the tabloid everyone in Toronto talked about. We are the people who helped make it happen. Sadly, most of us are long gone from the Sun. Many are now deceased. But when we were all a part of the Sun, as it was, it was a vibrant, kick ass paper that captured the impossible dream.

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

SAULT STE. MARIE - Les
Pyette was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, where he began his long
and productive newspaper career as a sports reporter at his hometown
paper when he was still in high school.

He was bitten so hard by the journalism bug in those early days that
he quit school to take a full-time job at the Sault Daily Star in 1963
for $65 a week, at the tender age of 17.

Pyette worked his way up to top executive positions at several
newspapers in Canada and was founding editor-in-chief of the Calgary Sun
in 1980.

He has travelled much of the world as a news man, but he never forgot
about the people back home. He made regular trips back to the Sault to
visit with family, which never seem far from his heart.

Pyette spent 41 years in the news business, 29 of them with Sun papers.

His efforts have led him into newsrooms across the country, to
Taiwan, Japan, South Africa and many cities in the U.S., and
distinguished him as one of the top news men in the nation.

Last fall he took his place in the Canadian News Hall of Fame among other greats in the industry.

On Saturday afternoon he was under the big tent on the Sault
waterfront at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion to receive an honorary degree
from Algoma University, and also deliver the commencement speech at the
school's convocation ceremony.

“Who would have thunk that I would be standing here (now), when I was
chasing all those sports stories around the Sault 50 years ago,” said
Pyette, 69, who lives in London, Ont., but still calls the Sault “home.”

The Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) Degree is awarded by AU to
recognize outstanding achievement by a person outside the university,
said academic dean Arthur Perlini during his introduction of Pyette.

“Mr. Pyette's achievements in Canadian journalism are outstanding and
have been acknowledged so by his peers, as well as the readership of
many of the newspapers he has spearheaded,” said the dean.

“His career contributions and achievements ... are recognized today as those of a newspaper legend,” Perlini added.

Pyette was soft spoken and most when he took his turn at the microphone.

“Thank you so much for bestowing this honour on a poor kid from
Connaught Avenue — Korah Road and Second Line. (It's) hard to believe,”
he said.

Pyette tipped his hat to his mother and father from the podium.

“Both are long gone now ... They raised five boys and two girls in a
little war-time house on Connaught Avenue. The morals and the values
that they taught us still hold dear with us today,” he said.

He made special mention of his brothers, Norris, Nellie, Ron and Al, who were in the audience.

Pyette said his father wasn't home much when he was growing up
because he worked two jobs. It was oldest brother Norris who drove the
boys to hockey games and taught them to drive.

“(He) taught us not to take any BS from anybody ... I owe a lot to older brother Norris.”

Pyette became a bit emotional while recognizing Nellie, Ron and Al, “For all their love and support over the years.”

He said he didn't know what to make of university president Richard
Myers when he called to tell him the school wanted to present him with
the honorary degree. He thought one of his old friends from the Sault
was putting him on.

“I'm humbled and honoured to be standing here,” he told the crowd of nearly 1,000 that filled the tent. “Thank you so much from the bottom of my Sault Ste. Marie heart for this wonderful honour. I will cherish it forever.”

Although he was still playing hockey and baseball when he began
working for the Sault Star in 1963, Pyette's duties took him to local
ball diamonds, soccer fields and the former Memorial Gardens to also
gather game statistics and talk to coaches.

He provided the information to reporters at the Star who wrote the
stories. He didn't actually get a byline until he had been on the job
for six months.

After playing in a hockey game in Sudbury late in 1963 he called the Star to provide details and comments about the game.

“A guy named Greg Douglas took it (the information) and he made a story,” Pyette said during an interview after convocation.

He was shocked to see the story across the top of the sports page the next day — with his byline on it. It was one of those indelible moments.

“I was bitten hard. I was turned on right there” to the newspaper business.

Pyette worked at the Sault Star until 1967 when he applied for a job at a small paper in Illinois,“as a lark.”

To his surprise he got the job and worked three years in the U.S.
before returning to Canada to continue his trade, later becoming editor
at the Toronto Sun, then founding editor-in-chief of the Calgary Sun,
publisher and CEO of both Sun papers and the London Free Press.

Through his career he also served as executive editor of the Toronto
Sun, general manager at the Calgary Sun and vice-president of Sun Media
before retiring in 2003.

He returned briefly to the news business in 2004 as publisher and CEO of the National Post for one year.

Pyette's advice to the 2014 graduating class was terse and simple.

“Believe in yourself, don't take no for an answer,” he told the more than 200 students in attendance.

Back in the '70s when the “upstart” Toronto Sun opened its doors, the
so-called media experts predicted the paper wouldn't last six months,
he said.

“But as you know, it's 43 years later and it's still going.”

It takes a lot of hard work to be successful, he told the students.
There were many late nights and early mornings during his 40-plus years
in the news business.

And he took some chances along the way, he said, such as leaving a secure job to begin a new venture.

“I can tell you students, no one is going to give you anything, you
have to stick to your principles and work your butt off to gain a
measure of success in this working world,” he said.

“Buckle down and concentrate and listen to your instincts, listen to
your gut. If you're lucky you'll find something that you like. And if
the door of opportunity opens, walk right through it and don't look
back.”

He shares some of his experiences in a recent email note saying Bernie Webber, chairman of the board of JazzFM91, will be chatting with Brad Barker on his show on June 17 at 3 pm.

Clare writes: “Have no idea what they are going to say aside from wishing me a Happy Birthday.

“Jazz FM91 started more than 60 years ago as CJRT-FM at Ryerson
Institute, now Ryerson University. It was then a mix of educational
programming classes and music, mostly jazz.

“As a tiny FM
station, its range was not far beyond the then tiny Ryerson`s campus. It
was used as a teaching tool for students taking Journalism and, about
63 years ago, I was one of those students.

“All I remember is
writing and editing copy for the sports broadcaster and once I read
sport news and I`m sure I was terrible for I still remember trembling.

“In 1950, I came to Toronto from Seaforth to work for the Toronto
Telegram. I enrolled in night school at Ryerson by mail before I left
and I recall the cost for one year was $15.

“Classes were two
nights a week and the teachers were mostly working Toronto news folks
who were moonlighting. Classes were held in two-story frame buildings
left from the war.

“I was so lucky (although I was fired from
the Tely) for in the early 1960`s I was appointed to the board of
Governors of Ryerson and in 1971 Premier Robarts and I were given
honorary degrees.

“Bernie was an early data processing whiz and
worked in the department of education in the 1960`s and later in other
government ministries. He is really the father of today`s highly
successful JazzFM91.”

Thursday, 5 June 2014

The former Sun Media and Toronto Star executive leaves a wife, two children and countless benefactors of his mentoring over the decades in the news biz.

No funeral, as he requested, but a memorial service was held in Collingwood.

There are stories to tell about Hartley's long and productive career in journalism before he quietly bowed out of Sun Media in 2006. Stories about his years devoted to building the Sun tabloids in Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary, his time at the Toronto Star etc.

He cared about journalism and the people he worked for and with in newsrooms and boardrooms across Canada.

Our favourite Hartley Steward caring and sharing story stems from the wake of Paul Heming, a wiz Toronto Sun copy desk editor who died at 53 in September of 1993.

Paul left $1,000 in his will to buy drinks for his colleagues at his wake, which was well populated. When the $1,000 ran out a couple of hours before closing time, Hartley, not wanting to see Paul's gathering end early, added another $1,000.

TSF readers wanting to share their memories of Hartley can do so by email at thecos@the-wire.com

Nancy Stewart, former composing room staffer: We were saddened to see Hartley Steward's obit in
the Toronto Sun. Even though we didn't work directly with him, those of us from
the former Composing Room and Ad Production Department remember him fondly as an
advertising executive, Editor and Publisher. I'd like to relate one short story
that reflects his caring attitude towards staff and his happy demeanour:

When the Sun held its usual party for
20-year-service employees (yes, those were the days), I happened to be on
sabbatical (again, those were the days) and missed the party. After my return,
Hartley invited me to his 6th floor office and personally gave me the
20-year-service gold ring, taking the time to talk of work, history, the origin
of our similar names and a few good laughs. He made me, and so many other
employees, feel like we were an important part of The Sun.

From Sherry, an ex-dayoner via a blog posting.When I received a text from Sister Kerry yesterday about Hartley passing, I
thought: Oh my God - there goes a Toronto Sun legend. That's so sad. I
really loved that guy.

As a boss, and friend, he was so much fun -
and so good looking - had an amazing sense of humour. Every minute spent
with Hartley was joyful, in or out of the office. No matter who, or
what, brought you down, Hartley had the knack of picking you up.

My heart
cries when Tor Sun family members join each other at 30 - for Hartley,
it's sobbing.

Judy Creighton,
former editor/columnist for The Canadian Press. I was most fortunate to meet Hartley when I joined the Toronto Star in 1973. Not
only did he mentor me as a reporter, but he became a good friend. So
much so, he and his partner sublet their downtown apartment to me when they
decided to purchase a house.

Hartley was a wonderful writer and was blessed with
a wicked sense of humour. He will be missed by all who knew him.

John Cosway, former reporter/columnist/rewrite guy
My first glimpse of Hartley Steward was when Hartley and Les Pyette sat down with me for a job interview at the Toronto Sun's original digs in the Eclipse Building in late 1974.

Harley and Les peppered me with questions about my media jobs, looked at clippings from a scrapbook, listened to stories about my years with Thomson newspapers and the Richmond Review in B.C., but were most interested in my wage demand.

Told them I always want to make more than my last job. I was making $216 a week at my previous job at the Richmond Review, so "how about $217?" They both laughed - and a few weeks later I was on the Sun's cop desk for the start of a 19-year stay.

The Toronto Sun Family: 1971 - 2017

Current and former Sun Media employees, this blog is for you. We'd like to hear your feelings about the Sun, pro or con, your experiences and if no longer with Sun Media, what you are doing today. There is no "I" in Toronto Sun Family. Just "we."